Brilliant Balaia

August 24, 2010

We visited Balaia in September ‘07. We found that the resort is very quiet. For example, there was a choice of only about four restaurants to eat at. However, the hotel will order you a taxi to the next resort of Albufeira which takes just 5 minutes to reach by car and has plenty of shops and restaurants and a livelier nightlife. Whilst here beware of the touts that try to sell you timeshares though. They are persistent and hang around Albufeira’s hotels. The beach was difficult to get to but is worth it. My 3 year old daughter loved exploring the coves with her dad.

We stayed in the Club Alto Da Colina. The accommodation was very clean and the staff very welcoming. My daughter loved the swimming pool and the water slides. We had to bribe her most days with sweets or an ice lolly to get out of the pool!

We did a few excursions which we booked through the First Choice rep. The Zoo Marine was a fun filled day out, the seal show was very good indeed and was all my little girl chatted about for the rest of the holiday. We even had to buy her a fluffy toy seal as a souvenir! The theme park has two swimming pools and a few fun fair rides too, including a mini rollercoaster, though there is nothing bigger for thrill seekers. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day out for all of us. On another trip we explored inland Algarve in an open-top jeep (compete with a car seat for my daughter). It was very interesting to learn about local Portuguese culture and traditions. In rural areas we came across so much flora including olive, almond, orange, cork and oak trees. Lunch was provided in a country restaurant and was the typical Portuguese cuisine of Chicken Piri Piri with lots of juice for the kids. These excursions really made our family holiday to Balaia special.

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Destination of the Month

Well hello to our new Destination of the Month… Sunny Tenerife! Home to one of the world’s best waterparks, and the high peaks of Mount Teide, we aim to bring to you the best that Tenerife has to offer.